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Surface Roughness of a Polymer Film Above and Below the Glass Transition Temperature

ORAL

Abstract

The roughness of a polymer film is controlled by thermally activated capillary waves and it decreases with temperature.

At a temperature TF close to the glass transition temperature (Tg), some studies suggest that the surface roughness ``freezes in'' and stops decreasing with temperature.

Using Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations, we simulate a coarse-grained model of a thin polymer at various temperatures above and below Tg.

We extract the surface roughness using an algorithm that mimics Atomic Force Microscopy experiments and we investigate the relationship between TF and Tg and whether and how the structure of the polymer film changes above and below Tg.

Presenters

  • Mauro Lorenzo Mugnai

    Georgetown University

Authors

  • Mauro Lorenzo Mugnai

    Georgetown University

  • Jonathan Seppala

    National Institute of Standards and Technology

  • Peter D Olmsted

    Georgetown University